/ˌstændˈɒfɪʃnəs/
冷淡,疏远;指一个人态度上不愿与他人亲近、保持距离的特质或倾向。
She sensed a certain standoffishness in her new neighbor and decided to give him some space.
她感觉到新邻居有一种冷淡的态度,于是决定给他一些空间。
His standoffishness at social gatherings was not born of arrogance, but rather a deep-seated shyness that he had never learned to overcome.
他在社交场合中的冷淡疏远并非出于傲慢,而是源于一种根深蒂固的、他从未学会克服的羞怯。
该词由 standoffish 加上名词后缀 -ness 构成。standoffish 源自短语 stand off,意为"保持距离、退后",最早出现于18世纪,用来形容一个人态度冷淡、不愿亲近。stand 来自古英语 standan,off 来自古英语 of,组合后形成"站在远处"的意象,由此引申出"冷漠疏离"的含义。后缀 -ness 将形容词转化为表示状态或性质的名词。